Abusive cops behind clandestine cell must be punished—Pangilinan

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) raids Manila Police Station I “lock up cell” where drug suspects allegedly used by cops as milking cow are detained.Photo by Aie Balagtas See/Inquirer

Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Friday called for a thorough investigation on the reported arrest and detention of drug suspects in a secret police cell in Manila, saying wrongdoers must be “punished swiftly.”

Lawyers from the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) discovered on Thursday a dozen men and women detained in a secret cell behind a shelf of Raxabago station’s drug enforcement unit (DEU) in Tondo, Manila. Some of the suspects were allegedly asked to pay in exchange for their release.

Pangilinan, president of the Liberal Party and member of the minority bloc, said the incident “should be investigated thoroughly and wrongdoers swiftly punished.”

“We have seen how PNP (Philippine National Police) uniformed personnel have in the Jee Ick-Joo case, the Espinosa rubout case and in a number of other cases abused their office under the guise of the war on drugs,” he said in a text message when sought for comment.

“If this systemic pattern of abuse is not addressed, I am afraid the war on drugs will fail in its objective of ridding the nation of illegal drugs and instead succeed in spreading lawlessness, police corruption and abuse,” said the senator.

Pangilinan was referring to South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo, who was allegedly abducted from his house in Angeles, Pampanga in October last year by a raiding police team and killed inside the PNP compound.

Former Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. was, meanwhile, killed inside his detention when members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Eastern Samar conducted a raid last November.

Both cases had been investigated by the Senate. IDL

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